What Voter Rights Should be Enacted?

Politics
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What Voter Rights should be enacted in 2022? Is the Voter Rights Act of 1965 no longer effective? What problems are the citizens having where they are not allowed to vote?

The only thing I would really like enacted change is 100% Voter ID. The state could give out a state ID card at no cost and it would be used for voting. I am for all citizens voting, but only once. I am also OK with Mail In Ballots, but the individual should have to make sure it is him/her who is turning it in. Maybe they could set up a 4 digit pin with their voting office. If their ballot doesnt contain a pin, or contains the wrong pin, it doesnt count.

What voting changes would you like to see enacted?

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I think it would be helpful to have a well defined national definition of this. The problem with the voter ID in my opinion is the debate about it, not the utility of confirming a voter’s identity. There are perhaps a tiny group that will still oppose voter ID in any form, but I think most of the opposition is based on a lack of trust in the designers/implementor’s and a belief that they will intentionally utilize voter ID to minimize turnout of people that trend to the opposition.

There is factual record of this in a few court cases (legislatures running demographics on various ID standards and choosing the mechanism that most advantages their party).

So in summary, a well thought through, thoroughly debated standard of voter ID could minimize opposition.

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Maybe issue a voter card they issue a social security card

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All states have a “State Identification Card” in addition to a Drivers License. The states could issue a State Identification Card that would/could be used for confirming ones identification to vote.

Voter ID is just what I would like.

If “Voter Rights” is such an important issue that we should do away with conventional rules to pass it, why cant anyone on the forum state why it is so important and what they want added?

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I support Voter ID, but I’m against creating a new “free” version.

States already have State Drivers Licenses and State Identification Cards and they should have by this time REAL ID act compliant cards.

I don’t see the need for a new card when the existing cards can easily be modified with an indicator that show the person is eligible to vote or not eligible to vote.

Secondly as to “free”. There is no such thing as “free”. With that in mind if the state card is issued for another purpose (such as driving) and there is a fee, then the fee should still apply. If the card is not issued for another purpose that generates a fee, then only those cards should have the fee waived.

WW

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Our political process is too partisan now to expect an honest debate on anything, but for voter ID it would be great to define a standard that can be shown (to honest observers) to be free from demographic games.

A good voter ID would:

Reliably match a person to a photo.

Be ridiculously simple, almost automatic to obtain. Perhaps tie it to some incentive like requiring it for filing taxes and obtaining benefits.

Outside the possibly well chosen incentives, be totally detached from any other government interaction such as: outstanding fines, criminal history, back taxes, etc…

Be totally detached from commercial interactions, i.e. debt collectors, robo callers, etc

Some of the historical opposition to voter ID is rooted in belief that implementations will create a bureaucratic entanglement that turns some people away from engaging. So these principles are designed to sooth these concerns and squelch the opposition.

If a state has an ID that works this way, great. If it does not it should design one that does.

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#1 A national clearing house of “voter registration”. State voting databases would be interlinked so that voting eligibility, registration location, and vital records are interlinked.

  • If someone dies, then the data from the Dept of Vital records is cross linked to the voting eligibility database,
  • If someone moves and registers to vote in their new location, it is cross linked into the system and they are automatically “de-registered” from the previous location and the person so notified.
  • If you are disenfranchised through a felony conviction or court determination of mental incompetency then the state would be required to make that entry in the system (and of course removing it if the franchise is restored).

#2 I think that all states should have no excuse mail-in ballots as a choice for the individual. Such ballots should require 2-factor authentication including a signature and the ID number of the Voter ID from #1.

#3 Once “registered” to vote, I don’t think you should ever have to “register” beyond an address change that changes your voting jurisdiction.

#4 I don’t support college students that go to school being considered permanent residents of the location where they go to school while living in dorm only part of the year. College students should vote absentee based on their permanent place of residence unless they reside off campus with 12-month leases and meet all other local residency requirements.

#5 I think that all mail-in ballots postmarked by election day, or delivered with certification from the United States Postal Service that the ballot was collected on or before election day, should be counted for up to 5-days base on delivery after election day. USPS would be required to prioritize mail delivery for any ballot envelop being returned. The counting period for ballots (military member and citizen living abroad) would be up to 10 days.

WW

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I would fully support all of this.

Do you think any of this is in the bill they are currently trying to pass?

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This sounds OK on first blush, but I don’t agree. For many reasons:

I’m not sure a parents house is any more permanent than a dorm. These kids are in flux.

Plenty of other categories of people have fluid living arrangements and they get to chose. (Snowbirds, military, remote workers,…)

“College Students” is a stereotype of 18-24 year-olds, but in practice it is much wider and includes people without much connection to their childhood or prior residence.

Even in a dorm, they are living in that location. granted they skew the local politics, but so does a military base.

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Snowbirds have to choose their permeant place of residence.

Military keep their voting residence even when they move unless they change their permeant voting residence to a new location. For example I was in the Navy for 20 years and voted absentee in New York even though I visited family on occasion. My daughter was raised in Virginia, however she changed her residency to Texas when she was stationed there. She is now stationed in Germany and votes absentee in Texas.

Remote workers? Not understanding. “Remote workers” vote absentee from their residence.

WW

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The states should adopt ID laws. We don’t need more federal rules for states on voting. Especially, from the brandon admin with an installed senile sock puppet. I don’t trust them.

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This is going to be controversial one. Many people vote very occasionally and only for national races like the presidency.

Culling voter lists for inactivity reduces participation of casual voters because the get-out-the vote efforts have to deal with persuading the person to vote AND dealing with re-registration.

This is a subtle part of the fight over roll culling. Removing dead people and moved people is what is advertised and debated, but some R advantage and D opposition comes from removing periodic voters.

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Votes weighted by number of hours worked in one’s lifetime producing taxable Income.

I don’t care about “what abouts”. I care about the nation.

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Here is something I wrote up and sent to my congressman shortly after the shenanigan’s started after the 2020 election:

Voting Counts Act

U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 4
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Place of Chusing Senators.

Given the fuster cluck of 2020, IMHO Congress should take up and pass legislation to guarantee the right that valid ballots are counted during federal elections. Some things I’d like to see addressed follow.

Voter Registration Commission:
Establishment of a bipartisan commission consisting of equal numbers of State Secretaries of State and equal number of Congressional representatives split between Senators and Representatives. In addition the commission will include recognized legal scholars with a demonstrated expertise in election law. The Post Master General of the United States would be a commission member but limited to providing input on and voting on matters pertaining to the United States Postal Service (USPS).

The commission’s charter would be to analyze and provide input on proposed legislation to establish a national Voter Registration Clearing House (VRCH) under the preview of the Federal Elections Commission. The VRCH would integrate information from State level vital statistics agencies (births/marriages/deaths), the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, State level Departments of Motor Vehicles, State Level Voter Registration systems and include Technology Experts in the field of data management and security. State level Departments of State responsible for maintaining voter registrations would be able to access the VRCH to identify:
(A) Persons actively registered in the state who are deceased,
(B) Persons actively registered in the state who have changed their residence either outside the state or to a different voting district inside the State, and
(C ) Persons whose right to vote has either been removed by due process of the law or restored by the State restricting the right.
(D) As a data source for State election agencies to notify people of removal from voter rolls due to change of residency.

Vote by Mail Protections:
(A) State would be required to count valid votes received up to X days (I’m fine with 5) after Election Day as long as they are delivered directly from the USPS to election officials. Such ballots are required to be either postmarked by Election Day or certified by the USPS to have been in their possession by Election Day. (Overseas and Military ballots exempt, they are covered under current Federal law.)
(B) The USPS will be required to prioritize the delivery of mail-in ballots.
(C ) The USPS will be required to segregate and quarantine all mail-in ballots collected on or before election day no matter when collected.
(D) The USPS will be required to keep all mail-in ballots collected after election day separate and quarantined from those ballots received on or before election day and must be delivered to election officials in separate containers from any mail-in ballot received on or before election day.
(E ) The USPS will be required to certify that mail-in ballots received on or before election day were in the possession of the USPS on or before election day to prevent ballot rejection for an illegible postmark. Once certified by the USPS a ballot will be considered valid with or without a postmark caused by USPS error.

Vote Drop Off for Other Persons:
Persons who receive a mail-in ballot and are physically unable to place the ballot in a USPS mail box or official drop box established by local election officials can designate an individual to place the sealed mail in ballot in an authorized container (mail or official drop box established by election officials) for the purpose of providing the ballot to election officials. Such third party transportation of ballots would be restricted in by the following:
(A) The ballot caster is required to complete the ballot, any documentation of information, and seal both the internal security envelope and outer delivery envelope.
(B) The person authorizing delivery must provide such authorization in writing which will be part of the ballot package. The authorizing individual must provide all of the following: Legal name of the person being authorized, address, social security number or State ID (driving or non-driving ID), and relationship. Non-related individual must provide their voter registration number.
(C ) A legal spouse, legal parent, legal guardian, sibling or child may transport and deliver a mail-in ballot for any legal spouse, legal parent, sibling or child without restriction but must still be documented and identified by the person authorizing the delivery.
(D) A person that is not a legal spouse, legal parent, legal guardian, sibling or child of the person casting the vote may deliver a mail-in ballot for another person when authorized and documented by the person casting the vote but may provide deliver assistance to no more than 5 persons. A person may only provide such assistance if they are a registered voter in the same precinct as the voter and must provide their voter registration number.
(E ) A person that is not a legal spouse, legal parent, legal guardian, sibling or child of the person casting the vote will be in violation of Federal election law and subject to criminal prosecution for a misdemeanor subject to a $500 dollar fine per instance over 5 and up to 1-year of incarceration total per instance of illegal ballot delivery.

Vote Counting:
(A) Local election officials are authorized and encouraged to perform security pre-screening of mail-in and drop box ballots upon receipt of the ballot package and are not required to wait until Election Day to start that process.
(B) Pre-screening should be commenced as early as practicable so that ballot inconsistencies can be addressed, the voter contacted to and corrective action taken.
(C ) After pre-screen the inner ballot envelop will be clearly marked as either “Accepted” or “Rejected”. Accepted ballots will be grouped separately from rejected ballots to facilitate security and counting.
(D) Accepted security envelopes will be opened and counted on or after Election Day subject to normal vote counting.

WW

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Exactly. They choose.

Again. They choose.

Wrong word, I meant people who work a job away from their residence and maintain two residences. Let’s just expand it to everyone who maintains more than one residence for whatever reason. They get to chose one.

Just considering the general fairness of singling out college kids from the rest of the people who have multiple residences and get to decide which one is principle.

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Yes, they get to choose based on their permenant place of residence.

I dorm room is not a permenant place of residence.

In general, College students living in a dorm are:

  • Required to leave the college during fall, winter, and spring breaks,
  • Required to leave the college during periods of weather emergency,
  • Required to leave the college during summer break,
  • Do not maintain the same dorm space from year to year.

The dorm is nothing but transitory.

WW

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No, you don’t.

What an asinine idea.

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That is the may typical arrangement but it is not universal.

I was not required to leave dorms during breaks and spent the summers in rented apartments. I did not move back home.

I am realizing you are talking specifically about dorms whereas my previous comments was about “college students” in general.

This brings up the case of students that skip the dorms and choose apartments. They would be free to vote in town and then summer at home?

In summary this is something that sounds OK at first blush and then falls apart when you try to factor in every person. At the end of the day it is going to be some weird process of:

  • a voting black list for dorm addresses

  • a stern warning that “apartment and move home summer” people shouldn’t vote

  • some process for either one of these people to claim they don’t go back home and want to vote. (And then they break the law if that plan changes after an election?)

It’s just too hard to implement and if it was then you can look to other multiple-resident people and wonder why they aren’t required to justify which residence is “permanent”.

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What’s your objection?

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You will note that my original post on the subject addressed this. If the student is maintaining an off campus apartment and meets all other normal residency requirements, then they would be free to register to vote from that location.

Students don’t have a “dorm address” they have a P.O. box in a mail center.

WW